Niko is an ordinary guy without ambitions. He passes time watching football on television. Following his father’s sudden death, he moves into his uncle’s house who offers him a job looking after his dogs. Niko reluctantly agrees. As more uneventful days continue, he develops an indecent relationship with his aunt, Gogo. Magnificently photographed, [Knifer] is the latest feature by Greece’s renowned director, Yannis Economides. Under Economides’ masterful vision, the smothered emotions of a repressed man are skillfully translated through sound and image. The sharp social criticism underlying the film is noteworthy. With the wonderful use of blank-and-white, fixed camera and carefully designed composition, Economides draws the audience deep into the state of discontent and suffocating stagnation that Niko goes through. The only scene shot in color is when Niko visits the movie theater and it’s the only scene where we see him laugh. The film may be interpreted as an allegory of the modern Greek society. (RHEE Soue-won)